"Great food starts with great water."

As, one of our previous blog recipes, nikujyaga, miso katsu is the Japanese version of a European classic. Miso katsu, the Japanese take on schnitzel, is deep-fried breaded pork served with dark smoky-sweet hacho miso sauce and plenty of cabbage. It is a specialty of Nagoya, as hacho miso was first made in a village of the same name near the Okazaki Castle near Nagoya about 360 years ago. Since then, it has become a regional favourite—there are even numerous restaurants throughout Japan that specialise in miso katsu!

Last March, we had Alex Norman, a young ambitious lawyer from London, with us for a one-week intensive cooking course. Alex specifically asked me to teach him how to make miso-based sauces and different kinds of dishes with miso. One of the dishes I taught him was miso katsu and he was hooked! He loved it so much that he plans to open a miso katsu restaurant in London. After that, I decided this would be a great recipe to share with all of you.

With summer in full swing and hot weather upon us, eating miso katsu is a great way to stay energised, just like the people of Okinawa. Okinawa, the southern-most prefecture of Japan, is made up of sub-tropical islands that experience longer, more intense summers than the Japanese mainland. For this reason, Okinawan cooking is full of pork dishes, as pork is rich in B vitamins and helps fight off summer heat fatigue.

Method

Combine egg, water and wheat flour together in a shallow bowl. Beat gently with a whisk to remove lumps. The batter should have a runny consistency. Set next to the dish with the flour.

Pour breadcrumbs into a 1cm thick layer on a plate. Set next to the dish containing the batter.

Cut tendons off the pork loin.

Pour the oil into a deep saucepan and bring it to 160°C on medium-high heat.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat and coat lightly with plain flour.

Dip cutlets into the batter and then coat with breadcrumbs.

Deep fry until golden brown, flipping it over after 3-4 minutes.

Place cutlets onto a plate covered in paper towel to drain excess oil

Cut into bit sized pieces.

Try not to overcook the cutlets, as the meat gets tough.

Arrange lettuce, cabbage, tomato and the pork cutlets on a plate and serve with miso sauce and mustard.

With fall just around the corner, miso katsu is a delicious spin on home-style cooking. Pair it with potatoes—or true to Japanese custom, with a bowl of steaming fresh rice. Next time on the blog we will be cooking deep-fried tofu with mushroom sauce. Fall is mushroom season and the Ozeki's signature mushroom sauce can be used for pastas, casseroles, meat dishes, and other hearty winter favourites. See you soon!